The New Westminster Salmonbellies opened a home-and-home series to finish the regular season with a 13-8 win over the Langley Thunder on Wednesday night.
The game carried little playoff significance, as New Westminster has secured third place in the standings, while the Langley Thunder have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Tye Kurtz led the Salmonbellies with two goals and seven points. Mitch Jones recorded a hat trick, while Logan Schuss and Nathan Henare each added two goals. Goaltender Frank Scigliano was solid between the pipes, stopping 50 of 58 shots for the victory.
For Langley, Chase Scanlan paced the offence with a goal and five points. Jon Phillips scored a hat trick, and Nathaniel Kozevnikov added a pair of goals. Nate Faccin got the start in goal and made 40 saves on 51 shots.
Big First Period for New Westminster
Langley jumped out early with Kozevnikov scoring 32 seconds in, followed by Scanlan at 4:01 for a 2-0 lead.
New Westminster responded with goals from Haiden Dickson and Kurtz, the latter coming shorthanded, to tie the game.
Phillips briefly put Langley back in front, but the Salmonbellies took control with a five-goal run. Mitch Jones sparked the surge, followed by back-to-back transition goals from Henare, including a shorthanded marker. Anthony Malcom and Jeff Henrick capped the run as New Westminster led 7-3 after one.
Thunder Narrow the Gap
Langley made up a little bit of ground in the second period, outscoring New Westminster 4-2.
Phillips opened the scoring at the 3:54 mark, but Mitch Jones replied off a feed from Kurtz at 7:04.
M’Lot scored at 10:59, followed by Kozevnikov at 12:14 as Langley narrowed the gap to 8-6.
Schuss took a feed from Kurtz and scored for New Westminster at 14:16. However, Phillips scored on the power play with 4:47 remaining as the Salmonbellies led 9-7 heading into the third.
Salmonbellies Close Out the Win
New Westminster pulled away in the final frame. Kurtz scored early, followed by Schuss to make it 11-7.
Nathan Lam answered for Langley, but Jones quickly replied. Ben Soenen sealed it with an empty-netter as New Westminster claimed game one of the home-and-home series 13-8.
Top Scorers
New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Tye Kurtz: 2g, 5a
- Mitch Jones: 3g
- Haiden Dickson: 1g, 2a
- Anthony Malcom: 1g, 2a
Langley Thunder
- Chase Scanlan: 1g, 4a
- Jon Phillips: 3g, 1a
- Ethan M’Lot: 1g, 3a
Three Stars
- Tye Kurtz – New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Chase Scanlan – Langley Thunder
- Nathan Henare – New Westminster Salmonbellies
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